VYJ 


Vs  e I 


7 


THE 

MESSAGE 

OF 

CHRISTIANITY 

TO  OTHER 

RELIGIONS 


REV.  JAMES  S.  DENNIS,  D.D. 


FLEMING  H. 
REVELL  COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS 

NEW  YORK 

CH1CAQO 

TORONTO 


V 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/messageofchristi00denn_0 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS  . . . 
AFTER  A CENTURY 

by  REV.  JAMES  S.  DENNIS  D.D. 

12  mo.,  cloth $1.50 

It  will  comprise  six  lectures  delivered  before  the  Prince- 
ton Theological  Seminary  during  last  Spring,  being  the 
first  course  of  the  recently  established  Students  Lectures 
on  Missions.  The  Lectures  are: 

1st.  The  Present-Day  Message  of  Foreign  Missions  to  the 
Church. 

2nd.  The  Present-Day  Meaning  of  the  Macedonian 
Vision. 

3rd.  The  Present-Day  Conflicts  of  the  Foreign  Fields. 
4th.  The  Present-Day  Problems  of  Theory  and  Method 
in  Missions. 

5th.  The  Present-Day  Controversies  of  Christianity  with 
Opposing  Religions. 

6th.  The  Present-Day  Summary  of  Success. 

Sent  post  free  on  receipt  of price. 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 
NEW  YORK  CHICAGO  TORONTO 


PARLIAMENT  OF  RELIGIONS 


THE  MESSAGE  OF  CHRISTI- 
ANITY TO  OTHER  RELIGIONS 


BY  REV.  JAMES  S.  DENNIS  D.D. 

Of  the  Presbyterian  Mission,  Beirut , Syria,  Student's  Lec- 
turer on  Missions,  Princeton  Theological  Seminary,  Au- 
thor of  Foreign  Missions  after  a Century. 


Fleming  H.  Revell  Company,  New  York,  Chicago, 
Toronto,  Publishers  of  Evangelical  Literature. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Con  ress,  in  the  year  1893, 
byFleming  H.  Revell  Company,  in  the  office  of  the 
LibrarianofCongress,  at  Washington. 


THE  MESSAGE  OF  CHRISTI- 
ANITY TO  OTHER  RELIGIONS. 


Christianity  speaks  in  the  name  of  God. 
To  Him  it  owes  its  existence,  and  the  deep 
secret  of  its  dignity  and  power  is  that  it  reveals 
Him.  It  would  be  effrontery  for  it  to  speak 
simply  upon  its  own  responsibility  or  even 
in  the  name  of  reason.  It  has  no  naturalistic 
philosophy  of  its  own  evolution  to  propound. 
It  has  a message  from  God  to  deliver. 
It  is  not  itself  a philosophy;  it  is  a religion. 
It  is  not  earth-born;  it  is  God-wrought.  It 
comes  not  from  man,  but  from  God,  and  is 
intensely  alive  with  His  power,  alert  with  His 
love,  benign  with  His  goodness,  radiant  with 
His  light,  charged  with  His  truth,  sent  with 
His  message,  inspired  with  His  energy,  regnant 
with  His  wisdom,  instinct  with  the  gift  of 
spiritual  healing,  and  mighty  with  supreme 
authority. 


5 


<3 


THE  MESSAGE  OF  CHRISTIANITY 


It  has  a mission  among  men  whenever 
or  wherever  it  finds  them,  which  is  as  sub- 
lime as  creation,  as  marvelous  as  spiritual 
existence  and,  as  full  of  mysterious  meaning 
as  eternity,  ft  finds  its  focus  and  as  well  its 
radiating  center  in  the  personality  of  Jesus 
Christ,  its  great  Revealer  and  Teacher,  to 
whom  before  His  advent  all  the  fingers  of  light 
pointed,  and  from  whom  since  His  incarnation 
all  the  brightness  of  the  day  has  shone.  It 
has  a further  and  supplemental  historic  basis 
in  the  Holy  Scriptures  which  God  has  been 
pleased  to  give  through  inspired  writers  chosen 
and  commissioned  by  Him.  Its  message  is 
much  more  than  Judaism;  it  is  infinitely  more 
than  the  revelation  of  nature;  it  is  even  more 
than  the  best  teachings  of  all  other  religions 
combined,  for  whatever  is  good  and  true  in 
other  religious  systems  is  found  in  full  and 
authoritative  form  in  Christianity.  It  has 
wrought  in  love,  with  the  touch  of  regenera- 
tion, with  the  inspiration  of  prophetic  vision, 
in  the  mastery  of  spiritual  control,  and  by  the 
transforming  power  of  the  divine  indwelling, 
until  its  own  best  evidence  is  what  it  has  done 


TO  OTHER  RELIGIONS 


7 


to  uplift  and  purify  wherever  it  has  been 
welcomed  among  men. 

I say  welcomed,  for  Christianity  must  be 
received  in  order  to  accomplish  its  mission. 
It  is  addressed  to  the  reason  and  the  heart  of 
man,  but  does  no  violence  to  liberty.  Its 
limitations  are  not  in  its  own  nature,  but  in 
the  freedom  which  God  has  planted  in  man. 
It  is  not  to  be  judged,  therefore,  by  what  it 
has  achieved  in  the  world,  except  as  the  world 
has  voluntarily  received  it.  The  sins  of  Chris- 
tian nations  cannot  be  rightly  charged  to 
Christianity,  for  it  does  not  sanction  but  for- 
bids them.  So-called  Christian  nations  some- 
times do  frightfully  un-Christian  things,  or  at 
least  allow  them  to  be  done,  and  for  this  they 
will  be  called  to  give  an  account  by  the  God 
of  justice  and  judgment.  Where  Christianity 
is  not  known,  or  where  it  has  been  ignore 
and  rejected,  it  withholds  the  evidence  of  its 
power,  but  where  it  has  been  accepted  it  does 
not  shrink  from  the  test  but  rather  triumphs 
in  its  achievements.  Its  attitude  towards  man- 
kind is  marked  by  gracious  urgency,  not  com- 
pulsion; by  gentle  condescension,  not  pride; 


8 


THE  MESSAGE  OF  CHRISTIANITY 


by  kindly  ministry,  not  harshness;  by  faithful 
warning,  not  taunting  reproaches;  by  plain 
instruction,  not  argument;  by  gentle  and  quiet 
command,  not  noisy  harangue;  by  limitless 
promises  to  faith,  not  spectacular  gifts  to  sight. 

It  has  a message  of  supreme  import  to  man, 
fresh  from  the  heart  of  God.  It  records  the 
great  spiritual  facts  of  human  history,  it  an- 
nounces the  perils  and  needs  of  man,  it  reveals 
the  mighty  resources  of  redemption,  it  solves 
the  problems  and  blesses  the  discipline  of  life, 
it  teaches  the  whole  secret  of  regeneration 
and  hope  and  moral  triumph,  it  brings  to  the 
world  the  co-operation  of  divine  wisdom  in 
the  great  struggle  with  the  dark  mysteries  of 
misery  and  suffering.  Its  message  to  the 
world  is  so  full  of  quickening  inspiration,  so 
resplendent  with  light,  so  charged  with  power, 
so  effective  in  its  ministry  that  its  mission  can 
be  characterized  only  by  the  use  of  the  most 
majestic  symbolism  of  the  natural  universe. 
It  is  indeed,  as  revealed  in  the  person  of  its 
founder,  the  “Sun  of  righteousness  arising  with 
healing  in  his  wings.” 

We  are  asked  now  to  consider  the  message 


TO  OTHER  RELIGIONS 


0 


of  Christianity  to  other  religions.  If  it  has  a 
message  to  a sinful  world,  it  must  also  have  a 
message  to  other  religions  which  are  seeking 
to  minister  to  the  same  fallen  race  and  to 
accomplish  in  their  own  way  and  by  diverse 
methods  the  very  mission  God  has  designed 
should  be  Christianity’s  privilege  and  high 
function  to  discharge. 

Let  us  seek  now  to  catch  the  spirit  of  that 
message  and  to  indicate  in  brief  outline  its 
purport.  We  must  be  content  simply  to  give 
the  message;  the  limits  of  this  paper  forbid 
any  attempt  to  vindicate  it,  or  to  demonstrate 
its  historic  integrity,  its  heavenly  wisdom,  and 
its  excellent  glory. 

THE  SPIRIT  OF  THE  MESSAGE. 

Its  spirit  is  full  of  simple  sincerity,  exalted 
dignity,  and  sWeet  unselfishness.  It  aims  to 
impart  a blessing,  rather  than  to  challenge  a 
comparison.  It  is  not  so  anxious  to  vindicate 
itself  as  to  confer  its  benefits.  It  is  not  so 
solicitous  to  secure  supreme  honor  for  itself  as 
to  win  its  way  to  the  heart.  It  does  not  seek 
to  taunt,  or  disparage,  or  humiliate  a rival, 


10 


THE  MESSAGE  OF  CHRISTIANITY 


but  rather  to  subdue  by  love,  attract  by  its 
own  excellence,  and  supplant  by  virtue  of  its 
own  incomparable  superiority.  It  is  itself 
incapable  of  a spirit  of  rivalry,  because  of  its 
own  invincible  right  to  reign.  It  has  no  use 
for  a sneer,  it  can  dispense  with  contempt,  it 
carries  no  weapons  of  violence,  it  is  not  given 
to  argument,  it  is  incapable  of  trickery  or 
deceit,  and  it  repudiates  cant.  It  relies  ever 
upon  its  own  intrinsic  merit,  and  bases  all  its 
claims  upon  its  right  to  be  heard  and  honored. 

Its  miraculous  evidence  is  rather  an  excep- 
tion than  a rule.  It  was  a sign  to  help  weak 
faith.  It  was  a concession  made  in  a spirit 
of  condescension.  Miracles  suggest  mercy 
quite  as  much  as  they  announce  majesty. 
When  we  consider  the  unlimited  scope  of 
divine  power,  and  the  ease  with  which  signs 
and  wonders  might  have  been  multiplied  in 
bewildering  variety  and  impressiveness,  we  are 
conscious  of  a rigid  conservation  of  power  and 
a distinct  repudiation  of  the  spectacular.  The 
mystery  of  Christian  history  is  the  sparing 
way  in  which  Christianity  has  used  its  re- 
sources. It  is  a tax.  upon  faith  which  is  often 


TO  OTHER  RELIGIONS 


11 


painfully  severe  to  note  the  apparent  lack  of 
energy  and  dash  and  resistless  force  in  the 
seemingly  slow  advances  of  our  holy  religion. 

Doubtless  God  has  His  reasons,  but  in  the 
meanwhile  we  cannot  but  recognize  in  Chris- 
tianity a spirit  of  mysterious  reserve,  of  mar- 
velous patience,  of  subdued  undertone,  of 
purposeful  restraint.  It  does  not  “cry  nor  lift 
up,  nor  cause  its  voice  to  be  heard  in  the 
street.”  Centuries  come  and  go  and  Chris- 
tianity touches  only  portions  of  the  earth,  but 
wherever  it  touches  it  transfigures.  It  seems 
to  despise  material  adjuncts,  and  to  count 
only  those  victories  worth  having  which  are 
won  through  direct  spiritual  contact  with  the 
individual  soul.  Its  relations  to  other  religions 
has  been  characterized  by  singular  reserve, 
and  its  progress  has  been  marked  by  an  unos- 
tentatious dignity,  which  is  in  harmony  with 
the  majestic  attitude  of  God  its  author,  to  all 
false  gods  who  have  claimed  divine  honors 
and  sought  to  usurp  the  place  which  was  His 
alone. 

Christianity  is  said  to  be  intolerant.  I do 
not  think  the  word  is  well  chosen;  it  would  be 


12 


THE  MESSAGE  OF  CHRISTIANITY 


more  true  to  say  that  Christianity  is  uncom- 
promising, and  it  is  uncompromising  because 
it  is  true.  It  is  as  absurb  to  complain  of  the 
uncompromising  nature  of  Christianity  as  it  is 
to  speak  contemptuously  of  the  inflexible 
character  of  natural  law.  Christianity  at  the 
same  time  that  it  is  uncompromising,  is  toler- 
ant of  the  convictions  of  others  in  a kindly 
and  generous  spirit,  and  if  true  to  itself  it 
would  be  the  last  religion  in  the  world  to  stifle 
liberty  of  conscience,  or  deny  all  proper  free- 
dom of  speech.  I regard  the  tolerance, 
patience  and  meekness  of  Christianity  in  this 
Parliament  as  simply  sublime.  God  give  us 
wisdom  and  grace  to  maintain  them  to  the 
end.  Its  tolerance  should  ever  be  marked  by 
gentleness,  patience  and  courtesy;  its  exclu- 
siveness should  be  characterized  by  dignity, 
magnanimity  and  charity.  It  should  be  the 
steel  hand  of  truth  encased  in  the  velvet  glove 
of  love. 

We  are  right  then  in  speaking  of  the  spirit 
of  this  message  as  wholly  free  from  the 
commonplace  sentiment  of  rivalry,  entirely 
above  the  use  of  spectacular  or  meretricious 


TO  OTHER  RELIGIONS 


13 


methods,  infinitely  removed  from  all  mere 
device  or  dramatic  effect,  wholly  free  from 
cant  or  double  facedness,  with  no  anxiety  for 
alliance  with  worldly  power  or  social  eclat, 
caring  more  for  a place  of  influence  in  an 
humble  heart  than  for  a seat  of  power  on  a 
royal  throne,  wholly  intent  upon  claiming  the 
loving  allegiance  of  the  soul,  and  securing  the 
moral  transformation  of  charcter,  in  order 
that  its  own  spirit  and  principles  may  sway 
the  spiritual  life  of  men. 

It  speaks  then  to  other  religions  with  un- 
qualified frankness  and  plainness  based  upon 
its  incontrovertible  claim  to  a hearing;  it  has 
nothing  to  conceal,  but  rather  invites  to  in- 
quiry and  investigation;  it  recognizes  promptly 
and  cordially  whatever  is  worthy  of  respect 
in  other  religious  systems;  it  acknowledges 
the  undoubted  sincerity  of  personal  conviction 
and  the  intense  and  pathetic  earnestness  of 
moral  struggle  in  the  case  of  many  serious 
souls  who,  like  the  Athenians  of  old,  “wor- 
ship in  ignorance ;”  it  warns  and  persuades  and 
commands  as  is  its  right;  it  speaks  as  Paul 
did  in  the  presence  of  cultured  heathenism  on 


14 


THE  MESSAGE  OF  CHRISTIANITY 


Mars  Hill,  of  that  appointed  day  in  which  the 
world  must  be  judged  and  of  “that  man”  by 
whom  it  is  to  be  judged;  it  echoes  and  re- 
echoes its  invariable  and  inflexible  call  to  re- 
pentance; it  requires  acceptance  of  its  moral 
standards,  and  exacts  submission,  loyalty, 
reverence,  and  humility. 

All  this  it  does  with  a superb  and  un- 
wavering tone  of  quiet  insistence.  It  often 
presses  its  claim  with  argument,  appeal,  and 
tender  urgency,  yet  in  it  all  and  through  it  all 
would  be  recognized  a clear,  resonant,  predom- 
inant tone  of  uncompromising  insistence,  re- 
vealing that  supreme  personal  will  which  origi- 
nated Christianity,  and  in  whose  name  it  ever 
speaks.  It  delivers  its  message  with  an  air 
of  untroubled  confidence  and  quiet  mastery. 
There  is  no  anxiety  about  precedence,  no  undue 
care  for  externals,  no  apology  for  mysteries,  no 
bargaining  for  compliments,  no  possibility  of 
being  patronized,  no  undignified  spirit  of  com- 
petition. It  speaks  rather  with  the  conscious- 
ness of  that  simple,  natural,  incomparable, 
measureless  supremacy  which  quickly  disarms 
rivalry,  and  in  the  end  challenges  the  admi- 


TO  OTHER  RELIGIONS 


15 


ration  and  compels  the  submission  of  hearts 
free  from  malice  and  guile. 

THE  PURPORT  OF  THE  MESSAGE. 

This  being  the  spirit  of  the  message  let  us 
inquire  as  to  its  purport.  There  is  one  im- 
mensely preponderating  element  here  which 
pervades  the  whole  content  of  the  message — 
it  is  love  for  man.  Christianity  is  full  of  it. 
This  is  its  supreme  meaning  to  the  world — 
not  that  love  eclipses  or  shadows  every  other 
attribute  in  God’s  character,  but  that  it  glori- 
fies and  more  perfectly  reveals  and  interprets 
the  nature  of  God  and  the  history  of  His  deal- 
ings with  man.  The  object  of  this  love  must 
be  carefully  noted — it  is  mankind — the  race 
considered  as  individuals  or  as  a whole. 
Christianity  unfolds  a message  to  other  relig- 
ions which  emphasizes  this  heavenly  principle. 
It  reveals  therein  the  secret  of  its  power  and 
the  unique  wonder  of  its  whole  redemptive 
system.  “Never  man  spake  like  this  man,” 
was  said  of  Christ.  Never  religion  spake  like 
this  religion,  may  be  said  of  Christianity. 

The  Christian  system  is  conceived  in  love;  it 


16 


THE  MESSAGE  OF  CHRISTIANITY 


is  wrought  out  by  love;  it  brings  the  provision 
of  love  to  fallen  man;  it  administers  its  mar- 
velous functions  in  love;  it  introduces  man 
into  an  atmosphere  of  love;  it  gives  him  the 
inspiration,  the  joy,  the  fruition  of  love;  it 
leads  at  last  into  the  realm  of  eternal  love. 
While  accomplishing  this  end,  at  the  same 
time  it  convicts  of  sin,  it  melts  into  humility, 
it  quickens  gratitude,  it  purifies  and  sanctifies 
the  heart,  it  glorifies  the  character,  it  inspires 
to  obedience,  it  implants  the  instincts  of 
service,  it  introduces  a regenerating  agent  into 
social  life,  it  teaches  unselfishness  as  the  great 
lesson  of  heaven  to  earth,  and  it  proposes 
love  as  itself  the  supreme  remedy  for  the 
woes  and  wrongs  of  the  world.  It  has  also 
its  message  of  warning  and  judgment,  which 
must  not  be  ignored.  It  speaks  in  the  name 
of  justice,  holiness,  and  eternal  sovereignty  of 
the  final  issue  of  that  folly  which  rejects  its 
proposals  and  appeals,  and  defies  its  authority. 
In  this  it  also  reveals  God  and  vindicates  His 
honor,  and  it  is  sadly  true  that  he  who  slights 
its  message  of  love  must  finally  face  its  sen- 
tence of  condemnation. 


TO  OTHER  RELIGIONS 


1? 


Let  us  look  at  this  message  more  in  detail. 
In  presenting  it  under  present  auspices  our 
purpose  is  not  so  distinctively  controversial  as 
declarative.  We  do  not  seek  to  challenge  or 
rebuke,  much  less  to  denounce  and  condemn 
other  religions,  but  rather  to  unfold  in  calm 
statement  the  essential  features  of  the  message 
which  Christianity  is  charged  to  deliver. 
This  is  not  the  place  or  time  to  sit  in  judg- 
ment; it  is  rather  an  opportunity  for  each  re- 
ligion to  unfold  its  distinctive  tenets,  and  de- 
clare its  innermost  secrets  of  wisdom  and 
spiritual  helpfulness  to  man  in  that  spirit  of 
courtesy  which  is  becoming  in  what  may  be 
regarded  as  a conference  upon  comparative 
religion.  We  who  love  and  revere  Christi- 
anity believe  that  it  declares  the  whole  counsel 
of  God,  and  we  are  content  to  rest  our  case 
upon  the  simple  statement  of  its  historic  facts, 
it  spiritual  teaching,  and  its  unrivalled  minis- 
try to  the  world.  Christianity  is  its  own  best 
evidence;  its  very  presence  is  full  of  power;  its 
spiritual  contribution  to  the  thought  of  the 
world  is  its  supreme  credential;  its  exempli- 
fication in  the  life  of  its  Founder,  and,  to  a less 


18 


THE  MESSAGE  OF  CHRISTIANITY 


conspicuous  degree  of  all  who  are  truly  in  His 
likeness,  is  its  unanswerable  demonstration. 

I have  sought  to  give  the  essential  outlines 
of  this  immortal  message  of  Christianity  by 
grouping  its  leading  characteristics  in  a series 
of  code  words  which  when  presented  in  com- 
bination give  the  distinctive  signal  of  the 
Christian  religion  which  has  waved  aloft  in 
sunshine  and  storm  during  all  the  centuries 
since  the  New  Testament  Scriptures  were 
given  to  man. 

FATHERHOOD. 

The  initial  word  which  we  place  in  this 
signal  code  of  Christianity  is  Fatherhood. 
This  may  have  a strange  sound  to  some  ears, 
but  to  the  Christian  it  is  full  of  sweetness  and 
dignity.  It  simply  means  that  the  creative 
act  of  God,  so  far  as  our  human  family  is  con- 
cerned, was  done  in  the  spirit  of  fatherly  love 
and  goodness.  He  created  us  in  His  likeness, 
and  to  express  this  idea  of  spiritual  resem- 
blance and  tender  relationship  the  symbolical 
term  of  fatherhood  is  used.  When  Christ 
taught  us  to  pray,  “Our  Father,”  in  the  spirit 


TO  OTHER  RELIGIONS 


10 


not  only  of  natural  but  of  gracious  sonship, 
He  gave  us  a lesson  which  transcends  human 
philosophy  and  has  in  it  so  much  of  the 
height  and  depth  of  divine  feeling  that  human 
reason  has  hardly  dared  to  fully  receive,  much 
less  to  originate,  the  conception. 

BROTHERHOOD. 

A second  word  which  is  representative  in 
the  Christian  message  is,  Brotherhood.  This 
exists  in  two  senses — there  is  the  universal 
brotherhood  of  man  to  man,  as  children  of 
one  Father  in  whose  likeness  the  whole  family 
is  created,  and  the  spiritual  brotherhood  of 
union  in  Christ.  We  are  all  brother  men, 
would  that  we  were  also  all  brother  Christians. 
Here  again  the  suggestion  is  love  as  the  rule 
and  sign  of  human  as  well  as  Christian  fellow- 
ship. The  world  has  drifted  far  away  from 
this  ideal  of  brotherhood;  it  has  been  repudi- 
ated in  some  quarters  even  in  the  name  of 
religion,  and  it  seems  clear  that  it  will  never 
be  fully  recognized  and  exemplified  except  as 
the  spirit  of  Christ  assumes  its  sway  over  the 
hearts  of  men. 


20 


THE  MESSAGE  OF  CHRISTTHNITY 


REDEMPTION. 

The  next  code  word  of  Christianity  is  Re- 
demption. We  use  it  here  in  the  sense  of  a 
purpose  on  God's  part  to  deliver  man  from 
sin,  and  to  make  a universal  provision  for  that 
end,  which  if  rightly  used  insures  the  result. 
I need  not  remind  you  that  this  purpose  is 
conceived  in  love.  God  as  Redeemer  has 
taken  a gracious  attitude  towards  man  from 
the  beginnings  of  history,  and  He  is  “not  far 
from  every  one”  in  the  immanence  and  omni- 
presence of  His  love.  Redemption  is  a world- 
embracing term;  it  is  not  limited  to  any  age 
or  class.  Its  potentiality  is  world-wide;  its 
efficiency  is  unrestrained,  except  as  man  him- 
self limits  it;  its  application  it  determined  by 
the  sovereign  wisdom  of  God,  its  Author,  who 
deals  with  each  individual  as  a possible  can- 
didate for  redemption,  and  decides  his  destiny 
in  accordance  with  his  spiritual  attitude  to- 
wards Christ.  Where  Christ  is  unknown  God 
still  exercises  His  sovereignty,  although  He 
has  been  pleased  to  maintain  a significant  re- 
serve as  to  the  possibility,  extent,  and  spirit- 
ual tests  of  redemption  where  trust  is  based 


TO  OTHER  RELIGIONS 


21 


upon  God’s  mercy  in  general,  rather  than 
upon  His  mercy  as  specially  revealed  in  Christ. 
We  know  from  His  Woid  that  Christ’s  sacri- 
fice is  infinite.  God  can  apply  its  saving 
benefits  to  one  who  intelligently  accepts  it  in 
faith,  or  to  an  infant  who  receives  its  benefits 
as  a sovereign  gift,  or  to  one  who  not  having 
known  of  Christ  so  casts  himself  upon  God’s 
mercy  that  divine  wisdom  sees  good  reason  to 
exercise  the  prerogative  of  compassion  and 
apply  to  the  soul  the  saving  power  of  the 
great  sacrifice. 

INCARNATION. 

Another  cardinal  idea  in  the  Christian  sys- 
tem is  Incarnation.  God  clothing  Himself  in 
human  form  and  coming  into  living  touch 
with  mankind.  This  He  did  in  the  person  of 
Jesus  of  Nazareth.  It  is  a mighty  mystery, 
and  Christianity  would  never  dare  assert  it 
except  as  God  has  taught  her  its  truth. 
Granted  the  purpose  of  God  to  reveal  Him- 
self in  visible  form  to  man,  He  must  be  free 
to  choose  His  own  method.  He  did  not  con- 
sult human  reason.  He  did  not  ask  the  advice 
of  philosophy.  He  did  not  seek  the  permis- 


22 


THE  MESSAGE  OF  CHRISTIANITY 


sion  of  ordinary  laws.  He  came  in  His 
spiritual  chariot  in  the  glory  of  the  super- 
natural, but  He  entered  the  realm  of  human 
life  through  the  humble  gateway  of  nature. 
He  came  not  only  to  reveal  God,  but  to  bring 
Him  into  contact  with  human  life.  He  came 
to  assume  permanent  relations  to  the  race. 
His  brief  life  among  us  upon  earth  was  for  a 
purpose,  and  when  that  was  acccomplished, 
still  retaining  His  humanity,  He  ascended  to 
assume  His  kingly  dominion  in  the  heavens. 

ATONEMENT. 

We  are  brought  now  to  another  funda- 
mental truth  in  the  Christian  message — the 
mysterious  doctrine  of  Atonement.  Sin  is  a 
fact  which  is  indisputable.  It  is  universally 
recognized  and  acknowledged.  It  is  its  own 
evidence.  It  is  moreover,  a barrier  between 
man  and  his  God.  The  divine  holiness  and 
sin  with  its  loathsomeness,  its  rebellion,  its 
horrid  degradation,  and  its  hopeless  ruin, 
cannot  coalesce  in  any  system  of  moral  govern- 
ment. God  cannot  tolerate  sin  or  temporize 
with  it,  or  make  a place  for  it  in  His  presence. 


TO  OTHER  RELIFIONS 


23 


He  cannot  parley  with  it;  He  must  punish  it. 
He  cannot  treat  with  it  ; He  must  try  it  at  the 
bar.  He  cannot  overlook  it;  He  must  over- 
come it.  He  cannot  give  it  a moral  status; 
He  must  visit  it  with  the  condemnation  it 
deserves.  Atonement  is  God’s  marvelous 
method  of  vindicating  once  for  all  before  the 
universe  His  eternal  attitude  towards  sin,  by 
the  voluntary  self-assumption  in  the  spirit  of 
sacrifice  of  its  penalty.  This  He  does  in  the 
person  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  came  as  God 
incarnate  upon  this  sublime  mission.  The 
facts  of  Christ’s  birth,  life,  death,  and  resur- 
rection, take  their  place  in  the  realm  of  ver- 
itable history,  and  the  moral  value  and 
propitiatory  efficacy  of  His  perfect  obedience 
and  sacrificial  death  in  a representative 
capacity  become  a mysterious  element  of 
limitless  worth  in  the  process  of  readjusting 
the  relation  of  the  sinner  to  His  God.  Christ 
is  recognized  by  God  as  a substitute.  The 
merit  of  His  obedience  and  the  exalted 
dignity  of  His  sacrifice  are  both  available  to 
faith.  The  sinner,  humble,  penitent,  and 
conscious  of  unworthiness,  accepts  Christ  as 


24 


THE  MESSAGE  OF  CHRISTIANITY 


* 

his  Redeemer,  his  Mediator,  his  Intercessor, 
his  Saviour,  and  simply  believes  in  Him,  trust 
ing  in  His  assurances  and  promises,  based  as 
they  are  upon  His  atoning  intervention,  and 
receives  from  God  as  the  gift  of  sovereign  love 
all  the  benefits  of  Christ’s  mediatorial  work. 

This  is  God’s  way  of  reaching  the  goal  of 
pardon  and  reconciliation.  It  is  His  way  of 
being  Himself  just,  and  yet  accomplishing  the 
justification  of  the  sinner.  Here  again  we 
have  the  mystery  of  love  in  its  most  intense 
form,  and  the  mystery  of  wisdom  in  its  most 
august  exemplification.  This  is  the  heart  of 
the  Gospel.  It  throbs  with  mysterious  love; 
it  pulsates  with  ineffable  throes  of  divine  feel- 
ing; it  bears  a vital  relation  to  the  whole 
scheme  of  government;  it  is  in  its  hidden 
activities  beyond  the  scrutiny  of  human  reason, 
but  it  sends  the  life  blood  coursing  through 
history,  and  it  gives  to  Christianity  its  superb 
vitality  and  its  undying  vigor.  It  is  because 
Christianity  eliminates  sin  from  the  problem 
that  its  solution  is  complete  and  final. 

CHARACTER. 

We  pass  now  to  another  word  of  vital  im- 


TO  OTHER  RELIGIONS 


25 


port — it  is  Character.  God’s  own  attitude  to 
the  sinner  being  settled  and  the  problems  of 
moral  government  solved,  the  next  matter 
which  presents  itself  is  the  personality  of  the 
individual  man.  It  must  be  purified,  trans- 
formed into  the  spiritual  likeness  of  Christ, 
trained  for  immortality.  It  must  be  brought 
into  harmony  with  the  ethical  standards  of 
Christ.  This  Christianity  insists  upon,  and 
for  the  accomplishment  of  this  end  it  is  gifted 
with  an  influence  and  impulse,  a potency  and 
winsomeness,  an  inspiration  and  helpfulness, 
which  is  full  of  spiritual  mastery  over  the  soul. 
Herein  is  hidden  the  secret  of  the  new  birth 
by  the  Spirit  of  God.  Christianity  thus  re- 
generates, uplifts,  transforms,  and  eventu  ally 
transfigures  the  personal  character.  It  is  an 
incomparable  school  of  transcendent  ethics. 
It  honors  the  rugged  training  of  discipline, 
and  uses  it  freely  but  tenderly.  It  accom- 
plishes its  purpose  by  exacting  obedience,  by 
teaching  submission,  by  helping  to  self-con- 
trol, by  insisting  upon  practical  righteousness 
as  a rule  of  life,  and  by  introducing  the  Golden 
Rule  as  the  law  of  contact  and  duty  between 
man  and  man. 


26 


THE  MESSAGE  OF  CHRISTIANITY 


SERVICE. 

In  vital  connection  with  character  is  a word 
of  magnetic  impulse  and  unique  glory  which 
gives  to  Christianity  a sublime,  practical 
power  in  history.  It  is  Service.  Here  is  a 
forceful  element  in  the  double  influence  of 
Christianity  over  the  inner  life  and  the  out- 
ward ministry  of  its  followers.  Christ,  its 
Founder,  glorified  service  and  lifted  it  in  His 
own  experience  to  the  dignity  of  sacrifice.  In 
the  light  of  Christ’s  example  service  becomes 
an  honor,  a privilege,  and  a moral  triumph; 
it  is  consummated  and  crowned  in  sacrifice. 
Christianity,  receiving  its  lesson  from  Christ, 
subsidizes  character  in  the  interest  of  service. 
It  lays  its  noblest  fruitage  of  personal  gifts 
and  spiriutal  culture  upon  the  altar  of  philan- 
thropic beneficence.  It  is  unworthy  of  its 
name  if  it  does  not  reproduce  this  spirit  of  its 
Master;  only  by  giving  itself  to  benevolent 
ministry  as  Christ  gave  Himself  for  the  world 
can  it  vindicate  its  origin.  Christianity  recog- 
nizes no  worship  which  is  altogether  divorced 
from  work  for  the  weal  of  others.  It  endorses 
no  religious  professions  which  are  unmindful 


TO  OTHER  RELIGIONS 


of  the  obligations  of  service;  it  allows  itself 
to  be  tested  not  simply  by  the  purity  of  its 
motives  but  by  the  measure  of  its  sacrifice. 
The  crown  and  the  goal  of  its  followers  is, 
“Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant.” 

FELLOWSHIP. 

One  other  word  completes  the  code.  It  is 
Fellowship , of  which  the  Spirit  of  God  is  the 
blessed  medium.  It  is  a word  which  breathes 
the  sweetest  hope,  suggests  the  choicest 
privilege,  and  sounds  the  highest  destiny  of 
the  Christian.  It  gives  the  grandest  possible 
meaning  to  eternity,  for  it  suggests  that  it  is 
to  be  passed  with  God.  It  illumines  and 
transfigures  the  present,  for  it  brings  God  into 
it,  and  places  Him  in  living  touch  with  our 
lives,  and  makes  Him  a helper  in  our  moral 
struggles,  our  spiritual  aspirations,  and  our 
heroic  though  imperfect  efforts  to  live  the  life 
of  duty.  It  is  solace  in  trouble,  consolation 
in  sorrow,  strength  in  weakness,  courage  in 
trial,  help  in  weariness,  and  cheer  in  loneli- 
ness; it  becomes  an  unfailing  inspiration 
when  human  nature  left  to  its  own  resources 


28 


THE  MESSAGE  OF  CHRISTIANITY 


would  lie  down  in  despair  and  die.  Fellow- 
ship with  God  implies  and  secures  fellowship 
with  each  other  in  a mystical  spiritual  union 
of  Christ  with  His  people  and  His  people  with 
each  other.  An  invisible  society  of  regenerate 
souls,  which  we  call  the  Kingdom  of  God 
among  men,  is  the  result.  This  has  its  visible 
product  in  the  organized  society  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  which  is  the  chosen  and  honored 
instrument  of  God  for  the  conservation  and 
propagation  of  Christianity  among  men. 

This  then,  is  the  message  which  Christianity 
signals  to  other  religions  as  it  greets  them  to- 
day: FATHERHOOD,  BROTHERHOOD,  REDEMP- 

TION, INCARNATION,  ATONEMENT,  CHARACTER, 
SERVICE,  FELLLOWSHIP. 

It  remains  to  be  said  that  Christianity 
through  the  individual  seeks  to  reach  society. 
Its  aim  is  first  the  man,  then  men.  It  is 
pledged  to  do  for  the  race  what  it  does  for 
the  individual  man.  Its  plans  are  elastic, 
expansive,  inclusive;  it  preempts  the  round 
earth  as  its  sphere  of  activity;  it  ignores  no 
class  or  rank;  it  forgets  no  tribe  or  nation; 
it  is  charged  to  minister  in  God’s  name  to  the 


TO  OTHER  RELIGIONS 


29 


world.  It  is  commissioned,  aye,  commanded 
by  its  great  Founder  to  disciple  all  nations. 
In  this  service  it  blesses  and  is  blessed;  in 
this  ministry  it  uplifts  and  is  itself  uplifted; 
in  the  accomplishment  of  this  noble  mission 
it  will  finally  be  forever  vindicated  and 
crowned. 


WORKS  BY  REV.  F.  B.  MEYER. 


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help  Christians  than  those  of  this  author.  He  is  a man  'mighty 
in  the  Scriptures,’  satuialcd  with  Jhble  facts  and  truths  and 
possessed  with  a yearning  desire  to  help  others." — D.  L.  Moody. 

OLD  TESTAMENT  HEROES. 

“His  subjects  are  treated  in  a broad  and  scholarly  way,  and 
yet  a reverent  and  religious  spirit  marks  his  whole  work. 

— Sunday  School  Journal. 

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Abraham;  or,  the  Obedience  of  Faith $1.00 

Israel:  A Prince  with  God i.oo 

Joseph:  Beloved— Hated— Exalted i.oo 

floses.  The  Man  of  God i.oo 

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"No  ■writer  of  the  present  day  is  imbued  with  the  spirit  of 
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observed  ‘he  is  a great  gain  to  the  armies  of  evangelical  truth.’ 
The  expositions  are  in  the  form  of  brief  discourses,  bright  in 
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WORKS  BY  DR.  A.  J.  GORDON. 


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The  Holy  Spirit  in  Missions.  i2mo.,  cloth,  gilt 

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Ecce  Venit;  Behold  He  Cometh.  Paper,  net,  50c.; 

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Christian  life.” — Christian  at  Work. 


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I 


